Safe from Nightmares
Title: Safe from Nightmares * Rating: G, some may be PG early * Genre: Friendship, hurt, comfort * Characters: Katara and Ty Lee * Shipping: Katara/Ty Lee friendshipping Plot Ty Lee encounters a nightmare, and needs the comfort of a friend. There's only one she can turn to. This is about 18 months after the War, at this point, the events of The Promise would have wrapped up. The story Ty Lee's guest house, South Pole It was a quiet night, the crescent moon visible in the sky, and all the stars dotting it could be seen as clear as the day. All seemed at peace, as everyone had wrapped up their day a while ago. It seemed that all was quiet. For Ty Lee, she was sleeping her enjoyable day off. Since Suki went off with Sokka, Ty Lee spent her day mostly with Katara and Aang. She was introduced to penguin sledding, enjoyed a snowball fight, talked, ate, and just simply hanged out. Now, she was exhausted, and all she needed was a peaceful rest. But, her dreams were denying that as she went along with things. They were concocting a frightful image for the young warrior, one which would shatter her inner peace like it was cheap glass. An image she could never even image appearing before her. A sinister image which would make this happy-go-lucky teenager turn into a fearful, quaking girl. "Ty Lee!" A loud, booming voice suddenly snapped, in an apparent tone of anger. "How dare you." The Kyoshi Warrior lifted her head up off her pillows, only to see that before her, was the last thing she wanted. "Wait...what?" There she was. She stood as Ty Lee last recalled her; her black hair in a topknot, two bangs on either side of her face, and the headpiece decorating her hair. She was in her royal clothing, elegant red with that armor of black and gold, and two stunning boots to cap it off. "No...it can't be..." Ty Lee uttered. "A-A-Azula...?" "I know what you have done," Azula began. Her look was stinging anger. Her white teeth gritted, her eyebrows arched down, her fists clenched. "How dare you become friends with them. The Avatar, the Water Tribe peasant, the Kyoshi scum...all of them. What did I tell you all that time ago?" "B-b-but Azula..." the Kyoshi Warrior again uttered, before a fast interruption. "You were supposed to be with me and destroy them!" The princess snapped. "I gave you orders that you seemed to be all clear on that night at the circus." Azula stepped closer, closer, nearing the post of Ty Lee's bed. Her features grew scarier through Ty Lee's eyes as she approached, before turning to the right to get a closer view. She grabbed Ty Lee's face with all her might in her hand. Ty Lee shook, her eyes starting to well with tears, the fear shining through her eyes, as if it were bright sunlight. Azula grabbed her face, turning it towards her, the firebender's menacing features now apparent to Ty Lee. "How...did you...get here?" She choked out, trying to get through to Azula in any way. "You don't need to know," Azula told her sternly. "All I know is that I need to finish what I started that night at the circus. You love that Water Tribe peasant so much? Say hi to her mother for me." Soon, she released Ty Lee's face and conjured up lightning. As she shot it, Ty Lee quickly hopped out of bed, and the blast hit the nearby wall. "Get back here, you filthy traitor!" Azula yelled. Ty Lee ran, right through the house, as fast as she could. She tried to find any safety in the darkness. Darkness that felt like it was closing in around her. Only illuminated by the occasional flash of Azula's lightning. She needed an exit. Any exit. She needed to get out of this horrific nightmare. Ty Lee could not recognize any of her house as she ran wherever she could. This was a dream sequence, yet, it seemed all too real. Azula was as clear as day, all her features as she could remember them. Ty Lee didn't know what to think. She turned, and Azula appeared before her. I should try to fight... "There you are, traitor!" Azula yelled. Ty Lee tried to charge at her, but Azula flipped away from her chi-blocking moves with cartwheels. "Shouldn't have taught those moves to me all those years ago!" Fear was now circling through Ty Lee's mind. She left her Kyoshi Warrior gear upstairs; there was no way to get to it now. The darkness was all around her, still the lights of Azula's violent attacks providing anything else. Spirits, help me! Please! Her thoughts were screaming. "Azula! You have to understand! The war's over--" "I don't want to hear any of it," Azula replied. She shot lightning at her again, which Ty Lee barely dodged. As she turned right down an unknown corridor, there, she saw what appeared to be an entrance to the outdoors. The night was calling her, trying to lead her to safety. She didn't even think; Ty Lee simply ran right through the unknown doorway, but Azula was right on her tail. She shot another bolt of lightning, which Ty Lee's acrobatic abilities again allowed her to dodge. Now outside, her feet dancing in the snow and ice, shivers starting to run through her, Ty Lee looked for anywhere she could go. Once again, the darkness was closing in on her, and she needed an out route. "Someone! Help!" She again yelled, this time vocally. "No such help for you!" Azula again yelled, throwing out another bolt of lightning. Safety The moonlight seemed to shine on a structure, again, almost as if it were calling to Ty Lee, telling her to go there for safety. She didn't know if she was getting tricked by her mind, or if this was real safety. Nevertheless, she looked left, and there was Azula, again coming for her. Forget it! Ty Lee ran into the structure, and saw what seemed to be the living room of another house. Before she could even get a look at its den, however, another bolt of lightning illuminated the darkness. Ty Lee fell to the couch, and soon, she was surrounded. "HELP!" She yelled one more time. Unbeknownst to her, someone had heard. Still, she dealt with her problem. Azula ran on in, and this time, she leaped on the couch, and opened up her arms. Soon, this pair of arms wrapped around Ty Lee. "Ty Lee." Her voice seemed to have changed tones, but Ty Lee did not notice. The invisible dam that separated her tears from the rest of her face broke, and the warm water streamed down her face, as she believed she was meeting her death. "Azula! Why are you doing this! Let me go!" "Ty Lee, listen---" "Get away from me!" She then turned her face up, but then, something was suddenly different. Her look turned to shock and wonder. The look of a Fire Nation princess was suddenly gone. Now in her place was a darker-skinned girl. Brown hair streamed down the sides of her face, and two loops were attached to either side. Her eyes were not a menacing anger of amber, but now a worried look of blue, eyebrows arched up. A frown was on her face, and a necklace with a blue charm adorned her. Her last decorations were a blue coat with fur on its shoulders and neck, a pair of pants down to about her knees, and two brown boots over the rest of her legs. She had her arms wrapped around Ty Lee, holding her closely. She wasn't choking her, but rather, hugging her. "W-W-Wait..." Ty Lee uttered. "K-Katara?" Her breaths were short and fearful, as she continued to shake in the fear of Azula just chasing her. Soon, all that darkness faded, and light more typical of a standard night surrounded her. "Yes," the waterbender whispered. "It's me. You had a nightmare, didn't you?" "So...that wasn't real?" Ty Lee asked. "A-A-Azula...she wasn't chasing me?" "Oh my gosh," Katara replied. "It was that bad? Azula was chasing you?" Tears continued to stream down Ty Lee's face. She then embraced her best friend and buried her head into Katara's shoulder. "Oh...Katara...it was so scary! Azula appeared in front of me...she told me how I had betrayed her, and she was going to kill me...she was trying to shoot lightning, and chased me out of my house...it was awful! All I saw was darkness and lightning...I've never been more scared in my life!" "Shhh..." Katara whispered again. She then pulled Ty Lee closer, and tightened her hug. After this, she rocked them back and forth ever so slightly. "It's over now. Azula is gone..." she felt Ty Lee shaking in her arms, and her own eyes even welled up a little. "Oh my goodness...I can feel how scared you are...it pains me to see you like this, sis." "Katara," Ty Lee's voice dropped to a whisper. "You should have seen it...there was just this light that led me here...I didn't know it was your house..." "I heard you yelling," the waterbender replied. "Then I heard you come in, and I saw you on the couch, cowering in fear. My first instinct was just to grab you, and hug you..." "I thought it was Azula choking me..." the Kyoshi Warrior mused. Katara shuddered, not wanting to think about her thinking that she might have been killing the girl she loved like a sister. "I'm so sorry...I just wanted to hug you so badly, because I saw how scared you were." "Don't worry," Ty Lee choked out through her tears. "Just my fears. It was just such a scary nightmare...I was so scared...I didn't know what to do!" "To be scared is human you know," Katara's voice remained at a whisper. "We all feel scared sometimes." She brushed Ty Lee's hair as she spoke lightly, trying to comfort her all the best she could. "It's great that you're talking it out...we need to discuss our fears and get the help we need. That's why I came to you...you were scared..." After giving her hair a few more strokes, she rocked her gently again. "I'm here for you, Ty Lee." "Oh, Katara..." Ty Lee whispered back, still crying, though now forcing a slight smile onto her face. "Thank you, so much...you really are like my sister." "What else are best friends for?" Katara asked in response, smiling. "Like I told you...it's all over now. Everything's going to be all right." After finishing, the two girls remained steadfast in their hug, Katara refusing to let go until Ty Lee stopped shaking. The waterbender did a little bit of everything: rocking, brushing Ty Lee's hair, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand, and even rubbing her back a little. Soon, the warrior stopped quaking, and they separated their embrace. "Will you be okay?" Katara asked. "I think so..." Ty Lee mused. "But...do you think I could stay here tonight? I'm worried that I might have another nightmare. I'm sorry if it's an inconvenience." "For you?" Katara replied. "Not at all." They then made their way upstairs to a side bedroom, which had been made for guests. Ty Lee made her way over to the bed and fell right onto it, bringing the covers over her. Katara then knelt down to her best friend's left. "Thanks for letting me stay here tonight," Ty Lee whispered. "It means a lot to me." Katara brushed some stray strands of hair ought of Ty Lee's eyes. "Anytime. I think, however, you'll be safe from those nightmares now that you've talked it all out. But, if you have another one...I'll be in the next room over." "You know," the Kyoshi Warrior began, "those nightmares tried to make me regret my choice of making you into a great friend...but, the heck with them. I have no regrets about my decisions." "I'm glad you don't," Katara answered. "You made your own decisions, and you decided right. I'm so glad I accepted you as well...and I also don't regret it, you kind, caring, warm-hearted girl, you." Ty Lee simply sighed happily. "Thanks again, sis. Good night, and well, I guess the same descriptions apply to you." "Maybe you're too lazy to think of something else," the waterbender replied, adding a laugh, which Ty Lee returned as well. Ty Lee looked back towards Katara with a compassionate smile. "I love you, Katara." Hearing the young warrior say she loved her was of no shock to Katara, she knew full well that it was platonic only. After flashing a warm smile of her own, the waterbender puckered her lips and placed a warm, light kiss on Ty Lee's forehead. "I love you too, Ty Lee. Good night...and pleasant dreams, sis." As the two again smiled at one another as the waterbender exited the room, Ty Lee felt her mind settling down as she gave a contented sigh. Her eyes began to close as only one thought entered her mind: Katara's right...I feel safe now... Indeed, she knew she was. In the darkness of nightmares, the bright light of a close friendship shined through. Peace replaced fear. Her old "friends" were gone. Her new friends were there for her. Any time she needed them. Safety from the nightmares.